Let's Celebrate Somebody!

It can be all too easy to focus on the negative things in life and in people. I refuse. Time to shift our focus. This is devoted to celebrating and treasuring the people along our journey's that inspire and encourage us: to simply call out the gold in them.

Finishing up with college and hitting 21 is revealing to me how truly rare life-long friendships are. I can count on 1 hand how many childhood friends I am still connected to.. one of those rare treasures is my girl Elizabeth Koch. My heart can't find the words to express how important she is to me.

And I can't help but celebrate this friend.

We first crossed paths in middle school when both of us seemed to be lost and trying to find our way. With major turmoil going on in my home, Elizabeth and her family became a safe place for me to get away..but we began getting into some trouble with the freedom we had been entrusted. Although we can laugh for hours over our countless (and very stupid//dangerous) adventures, we both look back and recognize the path we were on together was leading no where good. At a very young age we started messing around with smoking pot, that led to some alcohol, then some pills..then our friend groups shifted to significantly older friends that could benefit us in some way with their connections & cars.. the life of partying, drug use and freely doing whatever we wanted .. the very life we thought was freeing us and satisfying us, only left us feeling more and more empty and bound.

The consequences of that life left us shattered. Our lives crumbled into rubble and ruins before us. Losing friends to drug overdoses and suicides gave us two choices: numb out the pain and reality with more drugs or somehow get off that destructive path.

Elizabeth and I lost touch for a few years and traveled on our own journeys of messing up and finally (praise God) waking up.

​Reconnecting with this sweet friend has brought more joy to my life than I can say. Her strength and perseverance is a source of inspiration and encouragement to me each time I am with her. Although the enemy did all he could to kill, steal and destroy every area of Elizabeth's life, she stood in the midst of the ruins and rubble and had the option to give up...instead she looked up. She dusted herself off and said, "Screw this life, God I need you." I can't think of one person who has inspired me more in this season of my life. She left her pride behind and chose to believe, with the sweetest child-like faith, that the ruins and rubble of her life could be recycled into something beautiful. and WOW is it being recycled. Ashes for beauty.

Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become as humble as a little child, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:3

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

Joel 2:25 speaks about God's ability and desire to redeem the years of our lives that were stolen and destroyed...God has done with with my life and I am seeing it before my eyes in the life of my beautiful friend.

Satan better look out. As crazy and bold as this girl was for her life of partying and drugs she gonna be just as bold, if not more, for the new life she has found in Christ. I am humbled and honored to be doing life with her and I can't help but celebrating this woman's radical transformation.Jesus is flippin' awesome.

Something to know about Elizabeth is she is real. Bold.Honest...brutally honest. She was feisty and bold when she living her life of partying and drugs she revealed to me she if gonna be just as feisty and bold, if not more, for the new life she has found in Christ., Although this full force boldness use to be used to advance a life of destruction, satan better look out, because she is now empowered by a love victorious enough to bring dead bones back to life. God has handed this girl many talents that she intends to multiply for the Kingdoms sake (Matthew 25:14-30) and I am just humbled and honored to be doing life alongside her.